tv

There was an IRL race at the Iowa Speedway this past weekend. All the big names were there: Helio, Dario, and yes, Danica. I intended to get tix and go see it, but it’s one of those things that got put on the back burner until the race was sold out. So I decided I’d watch it on TV. I don’t have a TV in the shop, so I pulled an old one from the basement and set it up on the bench.

It was great being able to watch the race, but I don’t think it’s something I’ll do again. The TV was too great a distraction. On more than one occasion, I found myself running a drawer over the router table with my eyes on the TV. Or setting up to make a cut, stopping a moment to watch the race, then forgetting whether I’d completed the setup or not.

In the shop, nothing should be distracting me from whirling cutters, blades and tending to the details that can make the difference between a proper setup or ruining a workpiece. I’m glad I got to see the race… (Dan Wheldon won and donated his winnings to Iowa flood relief) but next time, I’ll be either in my easy chair in the living room, or better yet, in the stands.